Saying Goodbye
by Phoenix Ride
Summary: Raphael has been acting odd lately, and his brothers are concerned and determined to find out why. When the truth is revealed they must all fight their way to a noble cause; to grant a dying person's last wish. Please Read, Review, and Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1: Raph Disappears

**Saying Goodbye**

**By: Phoenix Ride**

**Ch.1: Raph Disappears**

"Kick! Twirl! Punch! Again!" commanded Splinter to his sons as they practiced thier skills in the dojo.

It was just another day in the New York sewer hole. Four, teen turtles were training to master their ninjistu skills, sharpening their senses for the day that Shredder and his Foot goons would attack again.

Things had really been peaceful during the last couple of weeks. Donnie was getting more time to work on his inventions, while Mikey tried to beat out his best videogame score, but Leo, the intrepid leader of the quartet, was more worried about Raphael.

The red-masked turtle's rage could be seen clear through all his actions today, and he had nearly destroyed the wooden dummy Master Splinter had him target with his sai. What could have gotten under Raphael's skin? Leo was determined to find out.

A few minutes later, Splinter tapped his staff twice against the ground, signaling that the training session was at an end.

"Well done my sons" said Master Splinter, turning to walk away, then stopped and said " Raphael, may I speak with you a moment?"

Raphael just nodded and followed Master Splinter to his room. Leo wanted to eavesdrop to hear what Sensei had to say, but resisted the urge when Mikey spoke up.

"Man" said Mikey " Raph has been getting more aggressive in practice lately. He must be bummed."

"Agreed" said Donatello " high performance usually comes when he's enraged."

"Well I haven't done anything to offend him lately" said Leo, looking at his two brothers " have you?"

"Nope," said Mikey.

"Not me," said Don.

"Well I say we figure it out" said Leo " he's been like this since last week."

"Yeah" said Don " ever since that little run with Casey."

"I figured that was because of the Purple Dragon activity they spotted" said Mikey " but come to think of it, he still seemed distracted even after we took them down."

"Maybe Casey has the answer to this mystery" said Don " we should call him up,"

"No" said Leo " Master Splinter is handling it right now. We'll give Raphael a chance to tell us, and hopefully he will in time."

* * *

Later that night, a silent shadow sneaked through the lair, perusing through rooms, and snatching items until he held it all in a little bag. He had to be careful and not breath a sound, or else one of his brothers would definitely wake up and sound the alarm.

He couldn't afford to be stopped anytime during his mission. Every delay was precious second he just couldn't lose.

Stuffing down the last item in his bag, Raphael creeped out into the dim light of the dojo and made his way over to the tunnel door. Once he reached the entrance, a big sigh of relief escaped his lips.

Looking around one more time to make sure that he wasn't followed, Raphael ducked into the darkness with his sack, the red tails of his bandana trailing behind.

* * *

The coming morn, three yawns escaped from groaning mouths as their bodies rose to greet the day. Leo stretched out his arms as he strolled out of his room, heading to the kitchen to where Mikey was undoubtly starting to cook, when a scream from his purple-banded brother jolted his nerves.

"What? Where's my...? Mikey!" yelled Don " What have done with my stuff?"

"Wasn't me!" yelled Mikey's voice from the kitchen " I didn't even touch your stuff dude,"

"What are you talking about Donnie?" asked Leo, when his brainiac brother stomped up.

"Some of my lab equipment has been stolen!" said Don, and began listing off items " My First Aid kit, some bandages, and a few essential cleaning supplies."

"Yeah" said Mikey, setting plates while his brothers walked in " well, there's some food missing too. Some water, a couple of cans of soup mix, and chocolate chip cookies I had stashed behind the ham."

"Strange" said Leo " does anything else seem gone?"

"Not that I've noticed" said Mikey " However, Raph's pancakes are going to be gone if he doesn't get down here soon to eat. Raph!"

"I'll get him," said Leo, leaving the room.

It didn't surprise the blue-masked leader that Raph had slept in that day. Giving the performance he was putting up yesterday, it had to be exhausting after all that work. Soon, Leonardo reached the upstairs to knock on his brothers, but was surprised when he found it opened and unlocked.

One peek inside and worry instantly flooded though his scales. Most of Raphael's stuff was gone, and his hammock looked like it had barely been slept in all night.

Leo pinched himself just be sure he wasn't imagining things, but the reality pushed in painfully clear. Raphael was gone.


	2. Chapter 2: Hidden Reasons

**Ch.2: Hidden Reasons**

"What?" asked Donatello, after Leo returned downstairs with the news " What do you mean he's gone?"

"His room was completely empty" said Leonardo " It's like he packed up a lot of his things overnight,"

"I guess now we know who's responsible for the missing stuff" said Mikey " but why would Raph get up and leave like that?"

"Unknown" said Don, then questioned " What are we going to tell Master Splinter about this?"

"Tell me what Donatello?" asked Master Splinter, stepping into the kitchen right then.

"It's Raph Sensei" said Leo " he's gone."

"Hmm" muttered Splinter at the thought of his second eldest missing " Very well, we shall have to start our training without him for today,"

You could have heard a pin drop after that statement, as Don, Mike, and Leo's mouths dropped open in shock. Didn't Splinter understand the urgency on what Leo just said?

"What…Master" said Leo " shouldn't we go out looking for him or something?"

"Calm yourself Leonardo" said Splinter to his son " I will see you at the dojo in an hour."

Everyone in the kitchen was stunned. Master Splinter didn't seem to be worried at all, and when the rat left the room, Leo and his brothers had plenty to say.

"Well that was…strange," said Don.

"Yeah" said Mikey, sitting down at the table " Sensei wasn't worried at all."

"If that's the case" said Don " then maybe Raph's not in any real danger. Splinter took him aside yesterday remember? So, maybe he knew that Raphael would be gone today."

"But why?" asked Leo " And why would Raph need to take all that stuff with him for a day's trip. No, something isn't right here. We're going have to investigate where Raph went for ourselves."

"Don, you contact April while I take Casey. One of them probably knows where Raphael is if he's in the city. If we can't get a solid lead from them, then after training, we're on our own."

* * *

An hour later, Donnie reported that April had seen no sign of Raphael, while Leo failed to make contact with Casey. Best guess was that their hockey-loving friend was busy busting some skulls of early morning crime, so it was likely they wouldn't reach Casey for quite a while.

"What do we do now Leo?" asked Mikey, as he and his brothers climbed towards the rooftops.

"We'll spread out and cover every spot in the city Raphael likes to go" said Leo " if you find him call out on the Shell Cells and report back to me. I don't know what Raph is up too, but I would like to find out."

With that said, the brothers split up to search, and Donatello jumped towards one of the places where Raphael was known to hang. He had almost stepped into the boundary of Chinatown when the crashes and bangs of a nearby fight suddenly caught his ears.

Curious to the commotion, Donnie looked down a nearby alley, and saw Casey standing his ground against four, armed thugs. The glint of knives could be seen clearly in the bright sunlight as the thugs lunged at Casey, and the vigilante quickly deflected with his stick.

Donatello sometimes found himself admiring Casey's skills as the human wielded a variety of sporting goods and was able to use them masterfully as weapons. However, although he was good at responding to attack, his form was really weak on defense.

Two thugs later, Casey was boxed in by the other two that remained. With knives pointing on both sides, Don knew that if just one of the thugs struck, and Casey moved to defend, the other thug would strike, landing a successful jab.

To bright to not be seen, Donatello peeled off a loose brick from the roof he standing on, and chucked it down to one of thug's heads. His mark was true, and the thug in front of Casey collapsed on the street.

Only stunned for a second, Casey quickly knocked out the other thug with his hockey stick, and looked up to see Don. A few minutes later, Casey Jones, climbed up the tall fire escape to the roof, and greeted the purple-masked turtle with a smile.

"Thanks Don" said Casey " What brings you to this neck of the woods? It's not even dark yet."

"I know" said Don " Raph went missing this morning, do you have any idea where he might be?"

"Uh…" said Casey nervously " nah, I don't know anything. I haven't seen Raph all week."

"What are you talking about?" asked Don " And why did you get so nervous when I asked where he was?"

"Oh, it was the fight ya know?" said Casey " Got me shook up. Anyway, thanks again for the help, guess I'll be going…,"

"Casey wait!" said Don " If you know where Raph is, why won't you tell me? Tell us?"

"Sorry Don" said Casey with a sigh " I promised not to. Raph has his reasons."

And with that said, Casey ran off.


	3. Chapter 3: Midnight Run

**Ch.3: Midnight Run**

After searching around with little answers, Donatello and the others later met up and headed back towards the lair, knowing that evening practice was about to begin. Both Mikey and Leo were stunned when Donnie explained the knowledge he had gained from Casey.

It was clear that the vigilante knew more than he told, but he wasn't about to give up the secrets of his best friend so easily. Leo pondered over all this mysteriousness while on the run, but nothing seemed to make logical sense to his mind.

Minutes later, after arriving back home, the three turtles received another shock, seeing Raphael back in the lair safe and sound. The red-masked turtle sat frowning in front a muted TV set, his amber gaze lost as he stroked the orange cat cuddled up around his leg.

Just seeing Raph interact with Klunk was enough to make Mikey concerned. The cat and turtle barely spent much time together, hardly any in fact. Mikey just assumed the two didn't like each other much, but apparently their bond was stronger than he thought.

"Hey Raph" greeted Mikey as he and the others approached " where've you've been bro?"

Klunk jumped off of Raphael's lap the moment Mikey appeared, and the red-masked turtle let out a sigh, muscles tensing for the question he knew would come.

"Nowhere," he responded.

"You sure?" asked Leo " because you missed practice this morning,"

"Is practice all that's important to you?" Raphael shot back, turning his amber gaze on the leader.

Leo was stunned by the response, while Donatello was wondering in thought. His mind reflected back to what Casey had told him earlier. Raphael had his reasons, and the stuff he stole were usually used to help someone whose been feeling sick or injured.

The reason behind Raphael's actions were all so clear now. Someone close to Raphael was hurt, a someone that he only knew, and only told two other people about, Casey and Splinter.

Before the questions could continue however, Splinter called for the evening practice to begin, and they all reported to the dojo to train. The air was tense throughout the entire session, but they somehow managed to make it through without Leo and Raph going into a fight.

Donnie was tempted to tell Leo and Mikey his theory behind Raphael's actions after practice was done, but thought better of it, and decided to trail Raph on the way to his room. Raphael stopped just inside his bedroom door before turning to look at Don.

"What do you want Donnie?" asked Raph.

"You're going out tonight aren't you?" asked Don, although it wasn't much of a question as a fact " Please Raph, if someone's hurt, you can tell me. I can help."

Raphael considered this thought for a second, dueling with indecision in his mind. Could he really trust anyone else with this secret? Don had a pretty good reputation for keeping his mouth shut, better than Leo or Mikey did anyway.

"Yes" said Raph "someone is hurt. I thought the stuff last night would help, but I'm afraid… Look, there's nothing you can do right now, but I have to go back. If I need ya, I'll call. Meanwhile, can you do me a favor?"

"What is it?" asked Don.

"Keep Leo and Mikey off my case" said Raph " I'll tell them eventually if worse comes to worse,"

"Okay Raph" said Don " I'll try. See you sometime tomorrow then. But wait, where did you go during the day? Me and the others searched for ya, and couldn't find a trace."

Raph only smiled and said…

"Casey's got plenty of room,"

* * *

The midnight hour soon struck, and all was quiet in the lair. All four turtles and Splinter, were nestled comfortably in their beds, well not really all. Sneaking off in the shadows, Raphael headed towards the tunnel door, sackless this time, but still taking care not to be seen.

Seeing that no one followed him, Raph turned and sprinted out the door, unaware that a pair of eyes were watching him from above, staring through blue-masked tails.


	4. Chapter 4: Mrs M

**Ch.4: Mrs. M**

"Her condition seems to have stabilized" said the doctor, standing near his elderly patient's medical bed " It's a miracle that we saved her heart, but I worry what the aftershocks can be."

"We should let her rest for the night," said a nurse, gripping the doctor's arm "she'll need peace to recover."

"If it wasn't for that anonymous phone call" said the doctor " peace is what she would have. Any idea who it was?"

"No Sir" said the nurse " but I've already contacted her relatives. Her daughter will be flying in tomorrow."

"Good," said the doctor, and shut off the light switch as they walked out of the room.

Once he was sure all traces of the staff were gone, green hands lifted up one of the seals holding the windows, and Raphael came into the room.

"Mrs. M?" Raph called out cautiously to figure on the bed " are you awake?"

" Raphael?" said the blind woman, opening her gaze as she directed her head towards the voice " Oh, how good it feels to hear your voice again."

"Likewise Mrs. M" stated Raph, taking a seat in a chair " How do you feel?"

"Old" said Mrs. M " Though you kind of expect these things to happen at my age. I'm glad that you were there to visit when it first came around."

"Me too," said Raph, almost silently, wishing that he could forget that horrible moment.

"Lucy?" queried Mrs. M.

"She's doing fine" said Raph " she misses you though."

"Oh, I'm sure you've been a perfect caretaker" said Mrs. M with a smile " and you'll be even better when I'm gone."

"Mrs. M" said Raph, suddenly clutching his fists in fear " don't talk like that!"

"Sorry dear" said Mrs. M " but I feel as if my time is coming soon, and when that happens, I need someone I can trust to run things smooth. I've already decided to let you keep Lucy as my last gift. Take care of her Raphael, as well as my heirs."

"Your heirs?" said Raph.

"My daughter and grandson" said Mrs. M " make sure they get their share. Watch over them, as you did for me."

"Mrs. M?" cried Raph, as the old woman slowly closed her eyes " Mrs. M?!"

But the elderly lady was already asleep.

* * *

A few minutes later, huddled up on rooftop with his face between his knees, Raphael shook in order stop the tears from falling, but they always slipped past his mask. His heart throbbed, burning with spikes of pain.

Never since he had almost lost one of his brothers had he felt this bad. To just think about the pain of losing someone was monstrous burden to bear.

He cried and continued to cry, feeling out for his Shell Cell as he considered calling either Casey, Splinter, or Don.

He couldn't bring his fingers to touch a word, and cowered in the shadows, alone.


	5. Chapter 5: The Truth Comes Out

**Ch.5: The Truth Comes Out**

Dawn rose, and with it came an empty chair at the breakfast table. Once again, Raphael had spent the whole night away from the lair, and Leo was becoming concerned.

Last night, Leo had been tempted to follow Raphael after he had spotted the turtle leaving the lair, but had been stopped by Donatello, who was up late finishing his latest technical project.

"This mystery is driving me insane" thought Leo to himself " I have to find some answers."

Just at that moment, Donatello's shell cell rang, and the purple-masked turtle picked up to hear Casey's voice on the other end.

"Hey Casey" said Don " what's up?"

"Need to get here pronto Bro" said Casey " Raph needs ya. He's covered in blood."

"What?!" asked Don surprised, and then immediately calmed down his voice from the way he saw Leo and Mikey react " Is it serious?"

"I don't know man" said Casey's voice over the phone " He just walked in like that this morning. I got concerned, and he said to call you, since you know about the secret."

"Well not all of it" said Don, then sighed " Fine, I'll be right there."

"What was that about Don?" asked Leo, once his brother hung up.

Donnie quickly scourged his brain to come up with a lie, even though all rational thoughts were screaming for him to let out the truth. But, he had made a promise to Raphael to keep Leo and Mikey at bay, at least until the red-masked turtle finally decided to reveal his cards.

"Damage control" said Don " looks like Casey managed to crack one of April's prized antiques, and wants me to do a little repair work before she gets back from running some errands."

"Sounds challenging," grinned Leo, accepting the excuse.

"Good luck," said Mikey, flashing a thumbs up.

"Right," said Don, and then traveled to his lab. He had a feeling today was going to be a long day.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside Casey's apartment complex, the lone figure of a red-masked turtle sat silently brooding in his best friend's room, breathing out the rage he had experienced the night before. After ridding himself of his sadness, Raphael had started coming back towards the lair, when shrill of a scream suddenly caught his ears.

Instincts kicking in, Raph immediately rushed towards the sound, and looked over the bridge of an alleyway to see a young woman standing there with two Purple Dragon punks knocking off her heels.

"You've picked the wrong night," growled Raphael, glaring at the two punks, instantly pulling out his sai.

"Should have followed our instructions lady," one thug said to the cowering victim before turning to his friend " Teach her a lesson."

The second thug grinned wildly, aiming his crowbar like a club. The woman cowered and closed her eyes, unleashing a second scream as the thug raised his arms, and then there was the sound of two sharp slashes, and deadly silence.

Unaware of what had just happened, the woman bravely opened up her eyes and gasped seeing that the two thugs that cornered her now lay dead on the ground. Blood spilled out into the alleyway, some even staining the woman's dress as she shakingly stood.

After a moment, she spotted her purse, and then slowly picked it back up to place on her shoulder. Her heart was very grateful that she was alive, but as the woman walked away, she wondered just who could have slain those thugs.

If she would have looked up, she would have had the answer, as Raphael stalked away on the roof covered in blood.

Casey sure received a surprise a few minutes later when Raphael walked in through his living room window drenched in the stuff. It was almost morning, and the hockey maniac was just about to prepare himself for breakfast when the giant turtle came in.

"Raph, bro, what happened?" Casey asked.

Raph just answered back with a stare, and then mumbled out the words "Call Don."

He had been sitting on Casey's bed ever since. Good thing Casey was planning to wash out the bedspread sometime soon.

Later, a knock came from the door, and Casey answered, slightly grinning when he saw Don. The genius brother already had his First Aid kit in hand.

"He's in the room" said Casey, pointing towards a door " be careful though. I don't know what happened, but he didn't seem to be in good mood last night."

"That's surprising," quipped Don, before heading towards the room.

When he walked in, Don stopped stunned at Raphael's condition, a bit relieved that it wasn't as severe as Casey made it sound over the phone. Raph was covered in blood alright, but mostly on his arms, and the weapons sheathed in his belt.

It surprised Don that Raphael hadn't even cleaned up yet. Usually, the purple-masked turtle was the last resort when asked to tend to Raphael after a nightly excursion. The hot head had a way of mending his own wounds, so why would he tell Casey to call Don right away.

Deciding to save the questions for later, Donatello forced himself to stay silent, and brought out a rag to wet it, before handing it to Raphael to clean up the blood. The red-masked turtle took it and started wiping his arms, barely looking at Don.

Don didn't talk the whole time, he knew his brother quite well. When someone demanded an answer from Raphael, like Leo or sometimes Mikey, Raph's method was always to clam up and stomp out in rage. But, most of the time, if you just stayed quiet, he would let you know what's on his mind.

Sure enough, after Raph had finished wiping off the last bit of blood, and handed the rag back to Don, he sighed and finally spoke.

"I failed Don" he said " I couldn't save her."

"Her who?" asked Don.

"Mrs. M" said Raph " she's this old woman I once ran into. Kept me hidden from all those whacko alien hunters that popped after the Triceratons came. I go to visit her whenever I can, and we talk for a long time."

"Wow" said Don, then had to ask " Does she know you're a…,"

"No" said Raph " I never told her what I really am. She's blind Don, and thanks to that she thinks I'm just some school kid running around in her neighborhood. I didn't want to ruin things by bringing up the truth."

Don nodded, understanding these feelings.

"But then…" said Raph " last week when I went for a visit…I received a shocking surprise."

* * *

**(FlashBack-Raph's POV)**

_It was right before I went on my usual patrol with Casey. The Purple Dragons had been on the move lately, so we wanted to make sure things didn't get out of hand. I still had a few minutes before our rendezvous so I went to have a talk with Mrs. M._

_Things started out normal enough. She opened up the door, asked if I wanted some tea, and Lucy came up cuddling against my leg, but as time went on, something seemed to be off. _

_As I was looking at the photos on her fireplace, a large coughing fit suddenly came from the kitchen, and I immediately ran in there to see Mrs. M pounding her chest. Afraid, I stayed there a little longer to make sure she was alright. That's when she told me she had been feeling sick for a while now._

_Mrs. M didn't want me to worry about it, so she kept the secret to herself. Just when I was fixing to tell her how dumb that was, Casey calls in, and I realize that it's passed the time we agreed to meet._

_He was in the middle of Purple Dragon smackdown and needed help right away. I didn't want to leave Mrs. M behind, but eventually decided that I had to go and help Case. I promised Mrs. M that I would be back. I would make her feel better no matter what._

**(End FlashBack)**

* * *

"I get it now" said Don " so when you went back to visit her with First Aid supplies you stole…,"

"I tried to cure her myself, but it didn't work" said Raph " Master Splinter had even given this special herbal medicine to help out, but it didn't work either. With her getting so sick, I had to call Casey in to get her to the hospital. That's why I stayed out so long the other day, and why I had to come back last night."

"Hey, you feeling any better Raph?" asked Casey, suddenly walking in.

"Yeah," Raph answered.

"Good" said Casey, slipping on a coat " Listen I'm going over to the hospital to pay your friend a visit. You said she had relatives coming in today right? Don't worry, I'll check them out."

"Okay" said Raph, with a faint sense of a smile "While you do that I'll go be picking up my cat,"

"Your cat?" asked Don shocked "What cat?"

"The cat I told you about" said Raph " Lucy,"


	6. Chapter 6: Last Words

**Ch.6: Last Words**

Later, up at the hospital, not to long before Casey would arrive to check on Mrs. M, her grandson and daughter had arrived.

The daughter was a tall, thin, blonde young lady dressed up in a vest-like brown shirt, short pants, and high black heels. Her lips were painted red, and gold jewelry hung from her arms, reflecting the impatience she held in her green eyes as she glared at the emergency door.

The grandson however was much more patient with the wait. The grey-suited young man quietly mussed with his brown hair, blue eyes concealing the worry as he wondered about his grandmother's current state.

His stare turned over to his aunt, still waiting impatiently outside the infirmary door. Aunt Rachel wasn't necessarily the kindest soul upon this earth. Rebelling at the age of fourteen, Rachel ran away from her parents to make her own name in the world, and no one had heard where she has been.

From her current demeanor, Thomas could guess that whatever Rachel had been up to for the past twenty or so years, things weren't going to bold well if he found out.

Thomas had been born when Mrs. Morrison's other daughter, a lot less rebellious than Rachel, had married his dad, and brought Thomas up in a happy home.

Two years ago, Thomas received horrible news when he learned that both of his parents had fallen victim to a plane crash on the way to their second honeymoon. Being close to thirty, it almost hard to take, and now his grandmother might die.

"She won't be alone if she does," thought Thomas determinedly, then the nurse opened up the door.

"You can go see her now," she said.

And that's when the relatives walked inside.

* * *

Lying comfortably in her medical bed, Mrs. Morrison looked brightly at her heirs, smiling big, welcoming them in with open arms. Few sentences were exchanged between mother and daughter, but Thomas expressed all the concern in the world for his grandma.

"How are you feeling Grandma?" Thomas asked.

"Much better dear" said Mrs. Morrison " now that I can see you two are alright. I wanted to you. Hear both your voices before I have to die,"

Death, Thomas couldn't believe it, how his grandmother could so easily talk of death as if it was last great achievement she could ever exceed in her life.

"Well I hope you've left me something good," said Rachel, and Thomas glared at her. How could she speak like that?

"Don't worry" said Mrs. Morrison " all your needs are taken care of, as well as Raphael's."

"Raphael?" asked Thomas and Rachel both stunned and confused.

Before they could ask who Mrs. Morrison was talking about, a knock came on the door, and a nurse peeked her head in.

"Mrs. Morrison, someone else is here to see you" said the nurse " He says he's a friend of Raphael's?"

"Let him in," said Mrs. Morrison, and Casey stepped inside.

"How you feeling Mrs. M?" asked Casey, approaching the old lady's bed.

"Fine," Mrs. M breathed, and looked at the small grouping around her. She could feel it in her bones the time had come to say her final words.

"Thomas" she stated " you have a kind soul ever since you born, and though you have suffered through hardships, like your parents, or the divorce with your wife, I want you to continue to spread that kindness around, no matter what form it may take, or how impossible it seems."

"I promise Grandma," said Thomas, bowing his head.

Nodding, Mrs. M turned to her daughter.

"Rachel" she said " you've always beaten to your own drum, independent in every word. I know little of what has kept you apart from us for so long, but I hope for you to stay and bond with your family again. Welcome them into your world, with open arms."

Rachel said nothing in response, and just nodded at her mother's words. Finally, Mrs. M turned her head towards Casey.

" Tell Raphael how grateful I am for him" she said " he gave me good company when I needed it most. Whether it would be helping me with my chores or drinking tea, my times with him were some of the happiest moments in my life."

"I've left him as the probater to my will. Those who do not see past appearances will not inherit my wealth. Make sure everyone gets their share."

And with those last words, Mrs. M drew in her final breath and died, leaving silence in the room.


	7. Chapter 7: Somber News

**Ch.7: Somber News**

Back in the lair, Master Splinter was busy putting Leonardo and Michelangelo through standard exercises when Raph and Donnie returned. Halting practice to greet his sons, Master Splinter traveled over to where the two turtles stood, Mikey and Leo following behind.

While approaching, Leo noticed that something seemed to be off with both of his brothers.

Donatello had that look like he was trying to keep something hidden, and Raphael looked a bit sad stroking a white cat in his arms.

Mikey was very surprised about the cat. If he hadn't seen his hot-tempered brother react with Klunk a few days ago, he would have never believed the sight. Had this been why Raphael had been acting so strange? Was this poor animal a stray?

"Hey guys" greeted Mikey " who's the cat?"

"Her name's Lucy" responded Donatello " we picked her up from Mrs. Morrison's apartment."

"From who's apartment?" asked Leo.

At the question, Raphael uncomfortably looked towards Donatello. Not long after the red-masked turtle took his genius brother over to Mrs. M's house to pick up Lucy, a conversation was started that maybe he should tell the others his secret.

Although reluctant, Raph knew that Donatello was right. He couldn't let the secret of Mrs. M stay hidden forever. So like it or not, he told Leo and Mikey everything he had said to Don.

By the time the explanation was finished, both Leo and Mikey were stunned. All of Leo's resentment towards Raphael sneaking off every night disappeared, making the blue-masked leader feel guilty that he had ever doubted his brother at all.

"Why didn't you tell us all this before?" asked Leo.

"She was just someone I could talk too after we got in a fight" said Raph " I didn't want to risk telling anyone."

"Dude" said Mikey " we would have understood. Can we go meet her? I'm sure she would like to see your bros,"

"That sounds like a great idea" said Leo " we could all go see her tonight."

Master Splinter just smiled as he heard his sons' plans. Yes, a family visit to a sick friend would all do them well.

"Casey's over at the hospital right now" said Don " once he comes back we'll…,"

His sentence was suddenly interrupted when the doors to the warehouse elevator swished open, allowing Casey to enter the lair. The vigilante's face was framed with a frown as he approached the turtle family, reluctant to deliver the somber news.

Raph noticed that there was something wrong with Casey right away, and looked concerned at his best friend.

"Casey, what happened?" asked Raph.

"Raph" said Casey gently, avoiding eye contact "I…she's gone."

"What?" asked Raph, stunned silence taking over the entire lair.

"She died in the hospital this morning" said Casey " and left you as probater to the will. She said to 'thank you' for all that you've done."

At the shock about hearing about Mrs. Morrison's death, and her final words, Raph almost made the mistake of dropping Lucy out his arms, but quickly recovered and passed the cat over to Mikey so his brain could digest this news.

Tears threatened to swell out behind Raphael's eyes, but the red-masked turtle refused to let them shed. He would not let his sadness go on open display.

Leo and the rest remained silent, sad and disappointed that they couldn't have at least met Mrs. M before she passed.

"I wish we were told sooner," thought Leo, releasing a sigh.

For a few minutes, tension hung in the air, until something Casey said earlier sparked in Donatello's brain.

"Wait" said Don, looking towards Casey " did you say she left Raph as the probater to her will?"

"Yeah" said Casey " I don't know what it means though,"

"What's a probater?" asked Mikey.

"A probater is the person left in charge of the will, to make sure everything Mrs. M intends to leave behind to her relatives is carried out equally," explained Don.

"Yes" said Master Splinter " it is an important duty to be named."

"So I'm in charge of everything?" asked Raph, a little stunned by the fact.

"Mrs. M's lawyer would help out too" said Don " The only problem is, Raphael would have to show up to the will reading to meet the heirs."

"Yeah, about those heirs" said Raph, looking at Casey " what we're they like."

"Well" said Casey, thinking over the events at the hospital " the grandson, Thomas, is definitely the more caring type compared to Rachel. That girl definitely has a mean streak riding up her spine."

"Sounds charming," said Leo "Well…I guess all we can do now is prepare…to say goodbye."

Saying goodbye, never before had a phrase sounded more final. Raphael cursed it as he closed his eyes, grinding his fingers in his palms. He wouldn't…couldn't even begin to breathe those words.

"Mrs. M," thought Raph, tilting his head towards the ground, and, without the tough turtle even knowing it, a small tear was shed.


	8. Chapter 8: Troubled Relations

**Ch.8: Troubled Relations**

A few days later, after Mrs. Morrison was pronounced dead at the hospital, a funeral service was held at the Manhattan Graveyard, where all of Mrs. M's friends and family could bid farewell and attend.

Standing away from the main crowd of mourners, Raphael stood alone, disguised in black outfit Casey had April construct so appearance couldn't be noticed. His amber eyes glanced forlornly at the grave, wishing that it wasn't there.

He promised his brothers that later that night, they could all come back to visit Mrs. M's grave together, but for right now, Raph had to attend the service alone.

"Wish at least Case or April could have come," thought Raph in his mind, but the lovebirds were to busy picking up a shipment for April's store.

A moment later, the preacher finished his prayer, and the crowd diversed in order to leave or chat around with the remaining mourners. It was then Raphael noticed a man step out of the crowd and head right for him.

Judging by the way the man was dressed, Raph instantly knew that he must be a lawyer, most likely Mrs. M's. The turtle's theory was confirmed when the man stopped in front of him and spoke.

"Jack Kurtzman, attorney at law" introduced the man " You must be Raphael, the mysterious probater Mrs. Morrison left to her will."

"Yeah" said Raph, shaking hands with the man "hope you can help figure this whole thing out."

"Don't worry" said Jack " I will. Mrs. Morrison already informed about your 'condition' before she died, so I'll see you in my office Monday for the reading of the will."

With that said, the lawyer walked off, leaving Raphael to ponder over his last few words.

"My condition?" thought Raph with surprise " Does that mean…Mrs. M knew?"

Before Raphael could ponder anything else, the sounds of an argument up the grave, attracted his attention right back to it. There, a man and a woman stood. Based on appearance, Raph quickly determined that these were the relatives Casey described.

"Rachel and Thomas" thought Raphael, determinedly walking towards the two " Time to meet the family."

However, before Raph could reach the pair, the argument reached its peak and Rachel walked off, leaving Thomas behind. Thomas turned and noticed Raphael, still a little stunned by his aunt's barrage.

"Who are you?" asked Thomas.

"Raphael" said Raphael, glad that the disguise was working well "I'm a friend of Mrs. M's. It's good to meet you Thomas."

"Same here" said Thomas, shaking Raphael's hand, finding it a little odd " It's good to know that my grandma made great friends here in the city. Since the divorce with my wife a few years ago, I don't feel like visiting this place much."

"Must have been a tough divorce," said Raphael.

"Yeah" said Thomas "at least Shannon and Tyler are doing well though. Wish I could gather the courage to speak to them again."

"Tyler?" thought Raphael in his mind, the name ringing a bell "Isn't that the name of the…? No, it can't be! I can't be talking with his dad!"

"Well, I guess I'd better go" said Thomas " I have work after all. And sorry Aunt Rachel couldn't stick around to meet ya. The woman's got a real thorn in her side."

With that said, the conversation dismissed, and the two parted ways.

* * *

Meanwhile, down near the road, Rachel was still fuming over the feud she had with her nephew, when she heard the sound of gun click and suddenly halted in her tracks. Turning scared, Rachel looked over to where she had heard the click, observing a shadow standing behind a tree.

"Remember the Master is watching you toots" spoke the figure " if you don't pay up soon, you're going to be dead."

"I'll get the money soon just wait" said Rachel "that's all mother was ever good for. He will be repaid. And even if this mysterious Raphael plans to mess things up, victory will be mine."


	9. Chapter 9: A New Threat

**Ch.9: A New Threat**

Later that night, under the full shine of the moon, four silent, turtle-like figures shadowed up to Mrs. M's grave to deliver their goodbyes. One by one, Leo, Mikey, and Donnie placed a bouquet of flowers against the headstone, while Raphael stood in silence, watching his brothers' forms.

An array of thoughts passed through each of the turtles minds as the arrangements were placed.

"Mrs. M" thought Leo, when he put his flowers down first " thank you for being there for Raphael. He doesn't open up to a lot of people, and I'm glad he could talk to you. I wish we could have met. Goodbye."

Once Leo was finished, Mikey stepped up next and put his flowers down.

"Don't worry Mrs. M" thought Mikey " Lucy is doing just fine. Her and Klunk have really gotten along. Raph told I can help take care of her. I'm sure she misses you though. Goodbye Mrs. M."

Finally, Donnie stepped up to the grave and put down his flowers, a small smile on his face.

"Even though we've never met" said Don "I'm sorry to see you go. We'll do everything we can to fulfill the last wish for your legacy."

"You bet we will," said Raph, agreeing with Don's statement, and then started with surprise when an alarm from the Battle Shell suddenly rang.

Quickly running over to find out what was wrong, all of the turtles hopped inside their vehicle while Donnie punched the controls trying to determine the source of the alarm.

"What is it Don?" asked Leo.

"Some sort of alarm was triggered at a nearby warehouse" said Don " police on our their way, but there's a hold up in traffic. I don't think they're going to make it in time,"

"Then how about we go crash the party?" smirked Raphael.

And with that said, the turtles pumped up the Battle Shell and roared off into the night.

* * *

Meanwhile, down at the warehouse district, whispers and grunts echoed as a gang of thugs piled in boxes to a truck parked outside.

"Hurry up!" one of the thugs yelled " The alarm went off five minutes ago. We have to leave before the cops show up."

"Pal" said a voice from just above the goon's head " you've got a lot more to worry about than cops."

"What?" asked the thug looking up, just in time to see Raphael leap off from the top of the truck and jump down on him.

"Oof!" cried the thug, as he went down.

The gang members close enough to hear their friend get taken down instantly went on the alert. One of the members spotted Raphael, and was about to shoot the turtle with his gun when a shuriken suddenly hit his hand, dropping the gun loose.

"Not nice boys" said Leo, appearing with his katanas " I think there's a lesson to be had."

"Cowabunga!" yelled Mikey, suddenly skating in, chucking down the bad guys before they could focus their aim on Leo.

"Awe, over already?" he quoted, when he looked back to see the thugs on the ground.

The goons responded to that little quip by getting back up on their feet, and shooting their guns like mad. Leo and Mikey quickly dodged out of the way, while Raphael followed after Don into the warehouse, where the purple-masked turtle had slipped during the big distraction.

"Wah!" cried Don's voice, as Raphael entered the room, alert to the sounds of gunfire.

"Donnie!" yelled Raph, instantly rushing to his brothers aid.

The purple-masked turtle stood shielded behind a crate when Raphael came, and the hot-tempered turtle easily spotted the two goons who were making all the trouble.

Don cringed as another round of bullets came his way, but it was thanks to the thick wood of the crate that he didn't have a bullet stuck in his shell. Although his brother was only a few feet away, Raphael knew it would be useless if he got pinned too.

Just before Don, there were a pile of crates that stacked up like a small staircase, and it curled up right behind the crooks.

Smiling mischievously, Raphael immediately made his way up that small stack of crates, and waylaid one crook just about he was fixin' to unleash another round from his gun. The second crook immediately came to his defense, which Raphael pushed away with a kick.

Relieved that the sound of gunfire was no longer blasting his way, Donatello stepped out from his hiding place, staff in hand, ready to help Raph finish the fight.

Grabbing the goon with the gun tight in fists, Raphael already had the first crook under control, so Donnie focused his attention on the second crook Raph kicked away.

The young thug stepped back in fear as Donnie advanced, stunned at how the turtles had quickly taken out his friend. Desperate, the crook reached into his pocket, to pull out what Don quickly identified as a bomb.

Pressing the activation button, the crook threw the bomb towards Donatello, which the turtle dodged, making the bomb impact with a stack of crates instead. A blast occurred almost instantly, and a massive fire burst spread quickly throughout the room.

"Raph!" yelled Don to his brother, as his crook escaped " We have to go!"

Knowing not to argue on this matter, Raph carried out the knocked out thug he was holding, and followed Donatello out of the burning warehouse. Leo and Mikey were waiting for them outside, with the rest of the gang tied up at their feet.

"You guys alright?" asked Leo as soon as his brothers emerged.

"Yeah" said Raph, slamming down his thug near the crook pile " you can add this one to the heap."

"One of the crooks managed to get away" said Don " We better get going too."

"Yeah" said Mikey, looking at the fire " that blast is sure to attract the cops."

"Come on!" said Leo, as he lead the others through an alleyway back where they parked the Battle Shell.

They managed to reach the heavily armored van in minutes, but when they arrived, a surprise was waiting for them, making all the turtles drop their jaws in disbelief.

Painted on the side of the Battle Shell, in pitch black paint, was the Chinese symbol for the word fire. The turtles had been marked!

* * *

Meanwhile, relieved that he had gotten away, the crook that Donnie failed to catch, relaxed in the shadows of a faraway alley, reaching opposite to the pocket that had held the bomb.

A cellphone soon squeezed tight in his fist, as he dialed up the number to his boss to tell what had happened at the warehouse tonight. On the other end of the line, the boss's ears perked up when he heard about the turtles.

"Hmm" said the Boss, through the phone " maybe this whole operation won't be a waste after all. Capture one of these turtles for me, you kill off the rest."

"Yes Master" whispered the thug into the phone " consider it done."


	10. Chapter 10: The Will Reading

**Ch.10: The Will Reading**

Monday finally came, and the mood was sour as Raphael dressed up in his disguise and left for the will reading Jack Kurtzman had scheduled for today.

While walking out, Raph paused for a second to look towards Donnie's lab, where the purple-masked turtle was still busy trying to trace any clue to the gang they had encountered last night. So far the genius turtle wasn't having much success, and Leo and Mikey were in the garage working overtime to get that painted symbol scrubbed off the van.

"Whoever those guys are" thought Raph, walking out of the lair and climbing to street level " they're going to pay."

With those thoughts, Raphael raced off to Jack Kurtzman's office, determined to reach the appointment in time. The lawyer had cleverly scheduled to the meeting to take place late Monday afternoon, which made more shadows available for Raphael to dodge and hide.

Despite the assurance of growing darkness, Raphael was glad that he took the time to dress up as well.

A few minutes later, Raphael finally arrived at Kurtzman's office, surprised by the fact he was the first one there, and because of the unusual setup of the room.

A large, wooden stood out in the center of the room surrounded by four chairs, the fourth which was covered by a large, three-sided box making the chair seem nearly invisible against the darkness.

Seconds later, Kurtzman walked in, and grinned when he saw Raphael.

"Good, you're here" he said " Thomas and Rachel should be arriving soon. The Shadow Box seat is yours. We use that when a client prefers to be anonymous."

"Well, at least he's thinking ahead," thought Raphael, and took his place in the shadow box seat.

About ten minutes later, Rachel and Thomas finally arrived, and Jack Kurtzman took seat in his own chair, ready to get on with the reading of the will.

"In the event of my death" read Kurtzman from the will " no matter how it occurs, my following possessions shall be dealt accordingly. I strongly trust Raphael, my friend and probater to this task."

At that statement, Raph slightly blushed in his chair, glad that the shadows hid his face so that no one else could see it.

"To start with, my beloved cat Lucy" Kurtzman continued " that I cherish with all my heart, I give to Raphael to care and to keep. I know that he will always provide the same love to her as I've had. My guardian angel."

Raph tried to fight back the tear that almost slipped from his mask when Kurtzman read that part of the will. It had been the last thing Mrs. M had said before she died, and the memories from that conversation brought sad reminders to his thoughts.

"Thomas" Kurtzman read on " my grandson, I give my house and all its memories. I know he has suffered much since his divorce, and has quite found a proper home. I only hope that he accepts this gift."

"I will Grandma," said Thomas softly.

"What little money I still have" Kurtzman " shall be donated to the blind fund at the hospital so that the doctors who helped me can help others recover their sight."

"What?!" said Rachel, suddenly jumping up from her chair defiant. Raph gripped tight the armrests of his own chair, keeping a careful watch on the daughter, fearing that she might knock Kurtzman for a loop.

"And Rachel I return her bear," finished Kurtzman, putting down the will, and Rachel went wild.

Screaming that what her mother had left behind for her was just not fair, Rachel threw up her hands, kicked over her chair, and then left storming out the door. The little crowd left behind sat silent as tense mood filled the air.

"Well" said Raph, relaxing his fighting pose " that went well."

* * *

Ramming outside into the darkening night, Rachel continued to scream out her rage.

"No money! No money! No money!" yelled Rachel " How could she leave me no money! Nothing but a useless, old…,"

"Am I interrupting something Rachel?" came an eerie voice from a nearby alley.

Rachel gasped in fear, suddenly losing most of her angry mood. Turning towards the alley, she cringed as she saw the same shadow figure from the cemetery, holding out his gun.

"From the sound of it" said the figure " looks like Mom failed to deliver the goods, just as you have. Any last words before I end your life?"

"Wait don't!" yelled Rachel, scared " I'll find a way! Give me a chance!"

The gun clicked, and Rachel cringed, fearing that a bullet would soon end her, but a second click occurred and the figure put his gun down.

"One chance" the figure smiled " you're going help me on a little project. Succeed, and I'm sure the master will forgive your debt."

"I'll do it!" said Rachel relieved " What do you want?"

"A monster Rachel" grinned the thug " a monster."


	11. Chapter 11: Old Memories

**Ch.11: Old Memories**

After Rachel had stomped out of Kurtzman's office, the lawyer just calmly gathered up all the papers he had laid out on the table and stood up from his seat.

"I guess that will be all gentlemen" said Kurtzman, excusing himself, as he handed a piece of paper over to Thomas " This is your deed to the apartment Thomas. Key is taped on top. Raphael can escort you there so that you can get some sleep. I look forward 'till when everyone is settled."

With that said, a few minutes later, Raph joined Thomas as they walked out of Kurtzman's office. It was now totally dark outside, and Raphael guided Thomas towards Mrs. M's home.

When they finally arrived at the door, Thomas stopped, peering at the welcome mat, noticing that a package sat on top of it. Picking it up, Thomas read the label on the package, confirming it was his grandmother's.

"Must have been her last piece of mail" said Thomas, looking at Raph " just delivered. Let's open it inside."

Raph nodded as Thomas unlocked the door and followed him in.

The inside of Mrs. Morrison's home looked about as peaceful as it had before, but it felt sadly empty without the presence of the old lady there.

Both Thomas's and Raph's gazes trailed over all of the various knick-knacks, each holding a beautiful memory to Mrs. M's cherished life.

Stopping in the living room, Thomas sat down on a couch and started unwrapping the package found at the door.

"Huh" muttered Thomas, when he saw what was inside " this is strange."

"What?" asked Raph, looking over to see what Thomas discovered, and let out a gasp of shock.

Lying pristine inside the box was a pair of beautiful, silver sai. With handles wrapped up in red-lined silk, and the bottoms of both gleaming, shining gold, they were the most amazing ninja weapons Raph had ever seen.

"Hey, there's a card" said Thomas, picking up a small piece of paper. "It says 'Happy Birthday Raphael'."

Raphael was stunned, taking the package from Thomas.

"She got this for me?"

Instantly Raphael's mind flashed back to all of the conversations he had had with Mrs. M. He did remember once about him and Mrs. M talking about birthdays, and how Raphael sort of shared a birthday with all of his brothers, since they were not really aware on which day they were born.

Looking back on the current date, Raphael suddenly realized that the time was growing close for their birthdays again, and Mrs. M had intended to surprise him with a gift.

"Thanks Mrs. M," Raph spoke in his thoughts.

Happy that the mystery of the package was finally solved, Thomas stood up off the couch and walked over to the fireplace where many family pictures were framed.

Raphael instantly noticed the sudden shift in Thomas's mood, put his present down, and walked over to where the man was standing. Thomas held up one frame in his hands and turned it so Raph could see.

"That's my wife and son,"

"Tyler," thought Raph, recognizing the kid in the photo instantly "So Thomas really is his dad."

"What caused the divorce?" Raph dared to ask.

"My own stupidity" said Thomas " I really loved Shannon, and was excited to be a father to my son, but then something went wrong. Aunt Rachel called in, asking for a favor, and I got in trouble with the law."

"What did she ask?" asked Raph.

"Money" said Thomas bitterly, not wishing to go into more detail " with her, it's always money."

"That reminds me" said Raph, honoring the wish to change the subject " Where's this bear Kurtzman mentioned in the will?"

"Rachel's old teddy bear?" said Thomas "Sure, follow me."

With that said, Thomas led Raphael straight into Mrs. M's old bedroom, and pulled out a drawer on the dresser by the bed. Soon, a medium-sized, brown teddy bear, with a yellow collar around its neck was gripped in Thomas's hand.

"Grandma showed this to me once" said Thomas " Aunt Rachel called him Teddy. Teddy was the most important thing in the world to her, he never left her side. But then my aunt discovered the power of money, and that's all she really cares about now. You can try to give Teddy back to her, but I doubt it will improve her mood."

"Maybe not" said Raph, taking Teddy into his hands " but it can't hurt to try. See you later Thomas. Goodnight."

"Night," said Thomas, as Raphael left.

And as the two souls parted, Thomas took one last glance at his surroundings and cried.


	12. Chapter 12: Monster Hunt

**Ch.12: Monster Hunt**

Sweat threatened to pour down Rachel's face as she and her gun-toting friend walked upon the Purple Dragons turf. The local gang had been a bit of an obstacle to get across once the Boss decided to expand his operations in this area.

No thugs liked to have their territory stepped on. They would fight to the death before anyone took what was theirs.

As if to symbolize this statement, the thugs glaring at Rachel and company, pounded their chains and crowbars threateningly in their hands, showing that they meant business. Rachel was trying every trick she could to not show how scared she truly was, but clearly her 'friend' noticed.

"Suck up that fear" he said " we need to look strong for the meeting of their boss."

"Easy for him to say," thought Rachel, angrily.

Xever was already at the point where nothing scared him that easily. Not even the big, blonde, heavily muscled man that sat behind a desk when they entered the base. This is the man they had come to meet, the Purple Dragons leader, Hun.

"Well, well, well" said Hun, motioning a couple of men standing beside him to put their weapons down " So Ghidora finally wishes to speak. What can I possibly do to aid an enemy on my turf?"

"The Boss would like to make a deal" said Xever " we give you back some of your turf in exchange for some information about monsters, particularly of the turtle kind."

"Hmm, the turtles?" said Hun " Sure, I can tell you a lot. What do want to know?"

"Everything Hun" said Xever, sporting a smirk " everything."

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the turtles lair, not to long after Raphael had gotten back from the will reading, Donatello called his brothers over to his lab where he could report on what he had learned about the gang that marked their van.

"They call themselves Ghidora" said Don " They're a new gang, recently formed here in America, but have become known for some pretty big crimes, especially those dealing with the black market."

"So they're in the steal and trade business huh?" said Raph.

"Basically," said Don " In fact, that warehouse we found them robbing last night was a secret reserve for some military weapons before they traveled upstate."

"Any word on a boss?" asked Leo.

"He's secretive" said Don, shaking his head " no one has caught a glimpse. However, all members of his gang can definitely be identified by that fire symbol. Find those floating around, and maybe we can track this guy."

"Then that's what we'll do," said Leo.

"Yeah" said Raph, stripping out of his disguise " just let me put this bear in my room first."

"Ooo" teased Mikey " looks like Raph has a little teddy to sleep with."

"Can it Mikey!" yelled Raph " It's not mine, it's Rachel's. All I have to is give this back to her, and Mrs. M's will, will be done."

"Then why not call Casey and have him take it over?" asked Leo "If that is the only thing that you have left to do, then he can take care of it tonight. While Casey is busy doing that, we'll hunt for clues about Ghidora."

"Alright fine" said Raph, pulling out his shell-cell " I'll call Casey to take the bear."

A few minutes later, Casey came down to the sewers, retrieved the stuffed toy, and went back above ground to accomplish the task. Comforted that the last wish in Mrs. M's will would finally be carried out, the turtle brothers nodded to each other and ran for the streets above, hunting for Ghidora.

* * *

Rachel was not expecting any visitors when she heard a knock on her door, a good hour after she had finally made it back home. Instantly, her nerves were on edge when she turned the knob. Was it Xever? Hun?

Luckily, when the door opened, it was neither of the two, but instead that tall man she and Thomas had met back in the hospital, Casey Jones, Raphael's friend. Immediately, Rachel's eyes narrowed.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Just returning your teddy bear lady" said Casey, handing over the toy " Raph sent me to do the task since he's busy tonight."

"Oh really" said Rachel, taking the bear and throwing on her floor " and what exactly is busy with? Being a vampire?"

"What?" asked Casey surprised " Why would ask that?"

"He prefers to shield himself beneath clothes during the day" said Rachel " My guess is that he's fearful of the sun."

"No way" said Casey "Raph can handle daylight, he just doesn't like folks seeing him is all. And he's not a vampire, trust me."

"Then what exactly is he then?" asked Rachel, glaring hard as she leaned close.

At that question, Casey immediately stumbled back to where he had parked his motorcycle on the street.

"Nothing… nothing at all," said Casey, jumping onto the bike.

Rachel grinned as she watched Casey turn the motor on and left. Finally, when the human was out of sight, Rachel closed her door, and brought out the shell-cell she had snatched from Casey's waist.

A wicked smile curled on her lips. With this, she would finally be able to pay off her Ghidora debt, and get revenge on the one she blamed for her misfortune on the will.


	13. Chapter 13: A Sinister Trap

**Ch.13: A Sinister Trap**

Evening settled fast upon the streets of New York as the sun set to continue its journey around the other half of the Earth. Using the shadows as a natural cloak around him, Leonardo leaped out from roof to roof, searching for the symbol of this new Ghidora gang.

A couple of hours had passed and he had no luck so far. Deciding to take a break, the blue-masked turtle called up his brothers to see if they had better rates of success.

"You guys find anything?" asked Leo.

"Nope," responded Mikey.

"Negative," said Don.

Raph's response was a little more descriptive.

"Following a hunch at my favorite district" he said " call back in a few."

"Hmm" wondered Leo as his red-masked brother hung up " Chinatown huh? Now what could Raph find there?"

* * *

Deep in the land of opportunity, New York is the main city where many dream of making it big. It was here that cultures clashed so completely that turning around one street corner was like entering another world. Raphael's favorite world to enter was Chinatown.

It was the most decorative out of all of the New York sections, and was always a good place to look for a fight. Whenever he wasn't out with Casey, Raphael would come here on his solo patrols just to keep an eye on the neighborhood.

However, he didn't have any plans on becoming its silent guardian tonight.

Face set with a fierce frown, Raphael looked down to the streets and narrowed his eyes in anger, thinking of the call he had received minutes before Leo decided to check in.

He was just about finished with his search area when his shell cell started to ring. Seeing it was Casey's number, Raphael immediately picked up, figuring that the vigilante was reporting that he had delivered the bear safe and sound.

However, the voice on the other end was not Casey's, which made Raphael stop and gasp. A deep, male voice spoke on the other end of the phone, sneering threateningly, triggering Raph's hate.

"Looking for your friend turtle?" asked the voice.

"Who are you?!" growled Raph.

"Ah, we can save the introductions for later" said the voice " just thought you'd like to know that your buddy is in the hands of Ghidora now."

"I swear…" said Raph " If you hurt him…!"

"Patience Raph" said the voice, stunning the turtle with his name " We're willing to make a trade. Come meet us in Chinatown in half an hour, the Black Dragon Boutique, East side. We'll discuss our terms then."

"Oh" the voice continued " and if you even think about calling those brothers of yours to ruin this deal, your friend will die even quicker. Thirty minutes Raphael."

And so Raph set off for Chinatown, determined to save Casey from Ghidora. Now he was here, searching for the Black Dragon Boutique where this guy said to meet.

It took a while to find it, and when Raph did, it was in the seediest part of the town.

The bright, festive lights of Chinatown disappeared as this street began. Immediately the whole area was crawling with bad vibes.

A large, two-story mansion just stood a few feet away with a fearsome, black dragon painted on its front door, coiled around the fire symbol that was infamous to the Ghidora gang.

It was no wonder to Raph that this part of the Chinese district looked abandoned.

This may be the most criminally active part of the city, but the sight of a black dragon was sure to turn many curious noses away.

Dragons were very important to the Chinese culture, and were usually used to represent good luck. A black dragon as wicked-looking as this one would definitely mean the opposite.

Well, good luck or bad, Raph was still going in there. Casey, his best friend, was in danger, and those Ghidora scum were going to pay!

* * *

Meanwhile, inside of the Black Dragon Boutique, a shadowed figured sat turned around in the comforts of his chair, keeping eye on the time of his watch. Slowly, the silver pocket-watch ticked the seconds of Raphael's last thirty minutes away. It seemed like the turtle wasn't going to make it in time to save his friend.

Suddenly, at the very last tick, a thump landed behind the man, and a smirk crossed his lips.

"Well that was close" said the man, ignorant of the glare Raphael was sending his way " I almost figured you weren't going to make it here in time."

"Where's Casey?" growled Raph.

"Right here," whispered a voice behind the turtle, and before Raphael could move, a cattle prod was pressed to his back shocking him with thousands of volts of electricity. Pain screeched out of his mouth as he collapsed to the floor.

Soon enough the electricity passed, and a new feeling came as someone placed shackles on his wrists.

"Well done Rachel" said the man in the chair, turning himself so he could get a better look at the person who brought down Raph " I'd say this pays off your debt to the society quite well. You have nothing more to fear from us."

"Rachel?" thought Raph, woozingly in his mind, and forced his weakened eyes to gaze around the room, before blacking out on the floor.

It was true, she was there. Mrs. M's daughter was a member of the Ghidora gang.


	14. Chapter 14: Family Troubles

**Ch.14: Family Troubles**

The night air grew chilly as Leo rubbed the cold from his arms. He and his brothers had been searching all night for Ghidora with no luck so far. Sunrise would be coming soon, in about two hours, so Leo phoned the others and they agreed to meet at the rondevu point before going home.

Raph hadn't picked up when Leo called, and although the blue-masked turtle thought that was a little strange, maybe Raph was somewhere where it wasn't safe to use his shell-cell. That would be a good excuse for not picking it up.

However, after Donnie and Mikey arrived, and Raph was still nowhere to be see, Leo began to grow worried again, and called Raph a second time, only to receive silence on the other end.

"Okay, that's not good," said Leo, hanging up the phone.

"What are we going to do?" asked Mikey.

"Raph said he was heading towards Chinatown right?" asked Don, in which Leo nodded "Well let's head over there first, and then I'll use the tracers in the shell-cell to see if he's still there."

"Sounds like a plan" said Leo " let's go."

* * *

Moments later, the three turtle brothers were jumping across Chinatown. Donatello took point as he traced Raphael's phone with his own cell. Steadily, the beeps were growing closer, which meant that Raphael was somewhere ahead.

They stopped outside the Black Dragon Boutique and were surprised when they saw the Ghidora symbol painted on the door.

"This isn't good," said Leo, and he and his brothers quietly stalked inside.

Keeping to the shadows, unaware if any of the Ghidora members were still here standing guard, the turtles sneaked on through, tracing the signal of Raph's cell.

Finally they found it, located in an empty room, where just seconds before Raphael had been captured. The sight of the red-masked turtle without his phone was all the proof Leo and the others needed.

Ghidora had Raph, and they had to find him, before anything could get worse.

* * *

The next morning, Thomas woke up with a yawn, stretching his arms as he rose in his late grandmother's bed.

It had felt strange when he had spent the night here. Empty, without his grandmother's presence hovering nearby. Thomas guessed it would take some while to get used to this strangeness, especially considering the emotional evening he had suffered before.

Hungry for breakfast, Thomas immediately got out of bed, and started to walk to the kitchen to prepare a quick meal when suddenly a knock sounded on the door.

Surprised, Thomas went over to answer it, curious to who it could be. Perhaps it was Raphael, checking to see if whether Thomas had a peaceful night.

However, when Thomas finally opened up the door, he was surprised to see his ex-wife and son standing on the other side. Two faces that he hadn't seen in many years, and yet still burned bright in the happiness of his memories.

Shannon looked even more beautiful than ever, with her dark hair and soft eyes. And Tyler, didn't to have changed much, still sporting his tough guy look in his baseball shirt and cap.

"Shannon, Tyler…" said Thomas stunned "What…when did you get here?"

"Late last night" answered Shannon, looking at her husband with a small scowl " our flight back home was delayed, so I'm sorry that we couldn't make it to your grandmother's funeral in time. Are you…taking it well?"

"I guess" said Thomas sadly, inviting his wife and son inside " She left me the house, and gave Rachel back her bear. All in all, its been pretty hard knowing that she's gone."

Shannon nodded in agreement, while Tyler looked around, noticing that someone was missing from the room.

"Where's Lucy?" the boy asked.

"Oh" said Thomas, looking at his son " A guy named Raphael took her away. Apparently, he helped out your great-grandmother a lot before she died. She even left him as probater to the will."

At the name 'Raphael', Tyler paused, knowing only one other person who possessed that name.

Back when his mom had been kidnapped by a bunch of goons, a giant turtle in a red mask had come to Tyler's aid. Introducing his name as Raphael, the turtle helped Tyler rescue his mother and put the bad guys away. Could this be the same Raph his father met?

While Tyler was pondering this strange scenario, his divorced parents continued to talk, catching up with current events, and eventually settling on other matters, like Rachel. Rachel was not a very popular subject to talk about.

Shannon thought it might be a good to visit his dad's selfish cousin, but Thomas was fighting hard not to agree. On the day of their breakup, Thomas tried to convince Shannon that Rachel was behind the crime he had been accused for, but she was to upset to believe a word.

Now since their separation, some of Shannon's anger had diminished, and she was determined to somehow reunite Thomas and Rachel again.

Finally, Thomas caved, and agreed to take his family over towards Rachel's house. Tyler stood up and immediately followed his parents from behind, ready to see his aunt.

* * *

The greeting wasn't warm once they arrived at Rachel's residence. The grumpy daughter looked like she had just been involved with something important when the doorbell rang signaling for family time.

In an instant, Tyler's aunt put on her false smile, allowing Thomas and his family partially inside, but neglecting to say that they should sit down and stay. Thomas didn't expect anything less, and as he listened to his wife talk to Rachel about current news and old times, Tyler immediately got bored of the discussion and decided to sneak around the house.

He crept silently from room to room, looking at all of the memorabilia his Aunt Rachel had managed to managed to collect throughout the years. She clearly hadn't lacked her liking for expensive tastes, but one item from her collection seemed to stand out from among the rest.

It was some kind of fancy, green phone, shaped just like a turtle's shell. Where had Rachel gotten her hands on this? It was definitely cool in Tyler's mind.

Yet, as the kid stared at the phone more and more, something about it looked familiar to him. Like he had seen this item once before, back when his mom had been kidnapped by that gang of thugs.

"That's it!" thought Tyler shocked, realization finally dawning in his mind.

His friend Raphael had carried a phone just like this. He explained it would be used to contact his brothers just in case anything went wrong while he was still blind.

"This phone must be his!" thought Tyler, taking it into his hands "But what is it doing here?"

Deciding to find out the answer later, Tyler quickly slid the shell cell upon his person and hid it away from sight. If this phone did indeed belong Raphael, Tyler was sure he would get it back.

* * *

Meanwhile, trapped somewhere deep in the darkness, Raphael woke up for his woozy eyes to see the rusty iron bars of his cage. Heavy shackles were placed upon his legs and wrists, preventing him from making to much progress towards the door.

Angry images flashed through his head as he remembered what trouble had led into getting in this cage.

He was in the hands of Ghidora now. That sick new group who took pleasure out causing chaos, not caring for innocent lives.

"Well, they're not going to keep me here for long!" thought Raph in his mind. " One way or another, I'll get out, and those Ghidora creeps will taste my shell!"


	15. Chapter 15: Connecting The Dots

**Ch.15: Connecting The Dots**

Meanwhile, back at the turtles lair, the three brothers were consumed with worry about Raphael. Who knows what horrors he could suffering under the Ghidora gang. And just how did they manage to trap him in the first place?

Right now, the answers to the question really didn't matter, all that was that needed was to find Raphael, and save him, fast!

"Any luck on figuring out where Ghidora's hideout can be Donnie?" asked Leo, impatiently pacing as he and Mikey watched their genius brother type.

"I'm trying" said Don, glaring at the computer " but there's to much information to shift through. This Ghidora gang is still new here, so the police haven't had many reports. If only Raph still had his shellcell on him, this would be easier."

"Hey guys" said Mikey " speaking of which. Did you know Casey called Raph just before Leo?"

"How'd you find that out Mikey?" said Leo, stopping his pace.

"I got bored watching Donnie and started messing with Raph's phone" said Mikey " See, under recent calls, Casey's name is right here before yours."

"Hmm" said Don, turning away from the computer " is it possible Casey was with Raph when he went to Chinatown?"

"If that's true" said Leo " then he should still have his Shellcell on him. Call him now Mikey."

Nodding that he understood, Mikey quickly dialed Casey's number into Raph's phone, and waited for their vigilante friend to pick up. Seconds later, a voice came over the other end of the line, but it was not the voice the orange-masked turtle came to expect.

"Hello?" sounded out a confused kid's voice. " Who's this? Raph?"

"Whoa dude" said Mikey " Who the shell are you? This is Casey's Shellcell number."

Just as the orange-masked turtle spoke that statement, Casey Jones suddenly walked into the lair, surprising the turtle trio.

"Hey guys" said Casey, not noticing the shock on his friends faces right away. " Yo Donnie, I think I may misplaced my shell-cell somewhere. Can you track it down..."

"No need" said Don, interrupting Casey's speech " because I think Mikey just found it."

While Leo explained the situation briefly to Casey, Mikey focused back on the person at the other end of the phone, and asked them who they were and how they seemed to know Raph.

"My name's Tyler" responded the voice " I've met Raph before. Since this phone was shaped like a shell I assumed it must be his. You must be one of his brothers huh? Sorry, I didn't know this belonged to one of your friends."

"No problem dude" said Mikey " By the way my name's Mikey. How did you get a hold of Casey's shell-cell anyway?"

"I found it at Aunt Rachel's place," said Tyler.

"Aunt Rachel?" repeated Casey, eyes narrowing in anger as Mikey told him and the others " That's the girl I had to give the teddy bear back to. She must have swiped my shell-cell off me while I was there."

"Which means" said Leo " that's she's also the one who lured Raphael into a trap so that he could be captured by Ghidora."

"Bet she knows where can find him then," said Don.

"Agreed," said Leo " We'll get Casey's shell-cell back from Tyler sometime later. Right now, I think its time we've had a little talk with Rachel, and find out where she put Raph."


	16. Chapter 16: Finding Raph

**Ch.16: Finding Raph**

"Heh," Rahcel sighed, pleased that her debt to Ghidora had finally been paid.

Now that part of her shady lifestyle could get buried and burn. If she ever heard a mention of the Ghidora gang again it would be to soon.

How fortunate that her deceased mother had made friends with a freak before she passed away. Raphael was the perfect trade despite what it could mean for his life.

To Rachel this seemed like perfect payback for her mother leaving her so little in the will.

"My old Teddy Bear really?!" thought Rachel, glaring at the bear before tossing it across the room " I don't even like stuffed animals anymore!"

No, the fancy life was where it was at, riches fame, it matter what steps you took in order to reach it. Others were just mere stepping stones, trash meant to be thrown away as you climbed your way to the top.

Suddenly, Rachel's thoughts were interrupted when a sudden sound caught her, causing her to jump and look back.

"What…who's there?!" she demanded out loud.

She should have been completely alone, and the door to her house was locked down tight. However, locked doors barely meant anything for her in the past, especially if certain visitors were determined to get inside.

Grabbing a steel rod from the fireplace poker, Rachel hefted it in her hand like a weapon, as she searched around her house for whatever had made the noise.

A dark shadow on her right suddenly fleeted past, and Rachel swung out with her rod. The steel weapon missed, but a second force didn't, as it slammed into Rachel hard from the side, and pinned the helpless female trapped against a wall.

Rachel struggled, eyes widening with fear, as she turned to face the attacker who was pinning her down. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

Another mutant turtle, just like Raphael, brown eyes glaring through a blue mask instead of red. Two other figures stepped out into the light, turtles as well, but with their masks orange and purple.

"His brothers," thought Rachel, remembering Hun telling her and Xever that Raphael wasn't the only one of his kind.

The look in their eyes all burned with rage, and the one in blue growled out at question Rachel knew was coming but still feared to hear.

"Where is our brother?"

* * *

Back in Ghidora's hideout, Raph cursed himself for still being to break out of his chains, when the door suddenly opened, shedding light in, as the leader of Ghidora stepped inside to examine his catch.

Raph glared as the chubby man approached, looking like a decorated penguin with black hair more than a decent mob boss. But the wicked glint in his eyes seemed to mean that he had no trouble tracking down prey.

"Ah yes, yes" said the leader " my two agents did very well indeed. Rachel's life is spared now. She deserves it for delivering such a fine specimen like you."

"Yeah" said Raph with a growl " well I'll be sure to return the favor once I break out of her bub!"

"That won't happen" said the leader " I keep all my valuables under secure lock and key. But don't fear, you won't be caged for long. There's a little auction coming up, and I'm sure a creature like you will fetch a fair price."

"Though I'm a little tempted to keep you myself. I never had a pet in my old country, and a giant turtle would more than suffice."

"I'm not your pet pal!" growled Raph " and you won't be selling me either! I'll tear out your guts before you even try to pull a stunt like that!"

"Such violence" said the leader with a smile " you would make a perfect pet indeed. Perhaps I should order my men to hunt down your turtle brethren and auction them off instead. Then you'll be all mine. Yes, that's a perfect plan indeed."

Raphael was stunned. His brothers?

"If you put a hand on them I'll…!"

"Calm yourself Raphael" said the leader with a grin "Ghidora has many heads, but can snag three meals. Your brothers shall fill the belly, and you will aid the beast."


	17. Chapter 17: Turtle Trap

**Ch.17: Turtle Trap**

"You didn't have to let me stay here you know" said Thomas to his ex-wife, as he sat down on the couch while she prowled around the kitchen. "It has to be awkward for Tyler. Grandma…Grandma gave me her place to live."

"I know" said Shannon, walking into the living room " but in a way, I kind of wanted us to make amends. It took a while for me to get over my frustration, but I think I finally forgive you for what tore us apart. You always had trouble lying to me Thomas. To think you were capable of such crimes was unforgiveable, even for me."

Thomas was stunned by his former wife's words.

"You…you don't blame me anymore?"

"No" said Shannon, with a grin " I don't. It would be wonderful having you in our lives again. I'm sure Tyler would agree."

"Speaking of Tyler" said Thomas " where is that boy?"

"Still in his room I bet" said Shannon, looking towards her son's door "Tyler, come on out! It's time for dinner! Tyler!"

The little boy didn't respond, and instantly Shannon's mother instincts started to kick in. That was strange, usually Tyler was out the door five seconds after dinner had been called.

Sensing something amiss, Shannon immediately went and opened up the door to Tyler's room, only to gasp in shock when she realized her little boy was no longer.

Tyler was gone, her son was missing! Where in New York could Tyler be?

* * *

Tyler was sitting inside of the Battleshell, sitting next to Casey, with his aunt tied up in between. Aunt Rachel was definitely not a happy camper, growling and fussing as she tried to rip up the rope and duct tape binding her arms and mouth.

Leo and Don sat up in the front seat, while Mikey sat in the back along with their human passengers.

Knowing that time was of the essence for Raph, Leo floored it, hoping that they could all make it to Ghidora's hang out before anything bad happened to their brother.

Finally, after a few minutes, they arrived. Parking the Battleshell somewhere where they hoped it would be seen, Leo and his brothers got out to begin the infiltration.

"Alright" said Leo to Casey " you and Tyler stay here and keep a watch over her. We'll go in and save Raph."

"Got it," said Casey, shooting a thumbs up " You can count on us Leo."

With that said, Leo, Don, and Mikey started carefully to make their way inside.

"I hope Ghidora hasn't done anything terrible to Raph" thought Leo " Don't worry Bro. We'll rescue you soon."

* * *

Meanwhile, inside of the hideout, Raph was struggling to break free as a crazy scientist was struggling to hold him down, trying to place a metal collar around his neck.

Whatever the collar was, Raphael knew it couldn't be good. Moments earlier, the boss's goons had knocked him, and brought him over to the lab. The moment he awoke, Raphael tried every second to break free.

Ghidora's boss wanted to control him, while he profited off of his brothers in return. That sick bastard would never get away with this! The moment he was free, Raphael swore he would do everything to make Ghidora pay.

"I won't be a pet for his amusement!" thought Raph " I won't be a tool he can play."

That was the situation the leader was trying to put him under right now, by having his crazy, scientific team slap a collar on him like a mad dog. But Raphael had had more than his fair share in dealing with mad scientists.

Once the jerk tried to push the collar on him again, Raphael bit his hand, and quickly snatched the electronic key hanging off of the guy's belt.

Pressing the button, Raphael instantly released his restraints, and flipped over to his sais, grabbing them in his hands, before crouching down in stance, eyeing all of the doctors inside of the room.

"Who wants to go down first?" said Raph, and then lunged out to strike.

* * *

Meanwhile, back on in the upper floors, Leo, Don, and Mikey had managed to push their way past of some of Ghidora's goons. The boss's office was in their sights now, but the man behind the desk didn't seem to disturbed.

The fat mobster smiled as the turtles strolled in, and Xever took a guard stance beside his boss, ready to fight if need be.

"Where's our brother?" asked Leo, pointing his katana blade.

"Around" said Ghidora " My pet is quite the find. So valuable, so rare. Perfect to add to my collection."

"He's not your possession!" growled Leo " Release Raphael now!"

"No" said the boss " he serves under me now. And you three…"

Secretly pressing a button underneath his desk, the mobster activated a release and the floor beneath the three turtles fell. Leo, Don, and Mikey screamed as they descended into the dark.

"…are fortunes to be sold."


End file.
